Refuse container



Aug. 21, 1956 J. RITTER REFUSE CONTAINER Filed June 17, 1954 FIG.2

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IZ'AYQLQM Unite States Patent O REFUSE CONTAINER John Ritter, Chicago,Ill.

Application June 17, 1954, Serial No. 437,418

6 Claims. (Cl. 220-43) This invention relates to improvements in refusereceptacles of the general type commonly used for storage and handlingof ashes and garbage, and the like.

Cross reference is here made to my copending application Serial No.374,472, filed August 17, 1953, now Patent No. 2,751,107, of which thepresent construction is a modification by the addi-tion of operatingmeans whereby the cover of the container may be opened and closed andtemporarily held in an open position.

The main objects of the present invention are to provide an improvedconstruction for refuse containers; to provide improved means forpreventing the cover of the container to be accidentally misplaced; -toprovide improved means for holding the cover in an open position; toprovide improved operating mechanism for opening and closing the coverof the receptacle by foot power while the hands of the operator areotherwise employed; and to provide an improved construction of suchdevices whereby the cover can be readily completely removed from thebody of `the receptacle for dumping its contents.

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figure l is a central vertical section of a refuse container constructedaccording to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar section in fwhich the cover is shown held in an openposition.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View on a larger scale more clearlyillustrating a portion of the operating mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the same as seen -from theright of Fig. 3.

In the form shown, the refuse container is in the form of a sheet metalcan having a body portion of circular horizontal cross-.section with afixed bottom wall 11, spaced a substantial distance -above the oor bymeans of a rim flange 12 at the bottom end of the body 10. The cover 13is of the usual form employed in such receptacles but has its dependingange 14 of suiiicient diameter to slide freely over the top rim 15 ofthe body. The cover has the usual handle 16 whereby it may be manuallylifted from the body 10.

The cover 13 has a reinforcement 17 fxedly attached to its under surfaceand has a depending rod 18 rigidly attached to this reinforcement 17.The rod 18 is telescopically slidable in a tube 19 that is rigidly fixedto a bracket 20 on the bottom wall 11 and extends vertically upwardalong the main axis of Ithe body 10. The lower distal end of the tu-be19 terminates in opening 11 in the bottom wall 11.

The inner end of tube 19 abuts against and is rigidly fastened to thebottom wall 11 by welding or the like, and forms an unobstructedcommunication with the -tube 19. The tube 19 extends outwardly radiallyacross the lower face of 4the :bottom wall 11 and upward in easycurvature through the aperture 12 in the ange 12 and terminates in anupstanding vertically positioned por tion 21 fixed against the outsideof the body 10 by straps ICC 2 22 and 23. It should .also be obviousthat lthe tubes 19 and 19 may be constructed in one piece instead of twop1eces.

Slidably located within the tube 19 is a flexible cable 24, preferablyyformed of helically coiled spring wire so as to be stiff enough toserve as thrust member and be readily slidable within the tube 19. Thiscable 24 terminates in a solid head or plunger 25 slidable Within thetube 19 and bearing against the lower end of the rod 18. The outer endof the cable 24 is similarly fixedly attached to a head or bushing 26that is slidable within the upstanding portion 21 of the tube 19. Thehead 26 has fixed thereto an arm or pedal member 27 that projectsthrough a slot 28 in the upstanding part 21 of the tube 19.

Swingably mounted on the lower strap 23 is a latch hook 29 that isadapted to engage the arm 27 when it is at the lower end of the slot 28to hold the cover 13 in the elevated position in which it is shown inFig. 2. The rod 18 serves as a stem on which the cover 13 is mounted andmerely rests o-n the head 25 of the cable 24 so that the cover can beentirely removed from the lbody 10 of the container for .the purpose ofdumping the contents thereof.

The operation of the device shown is as follows:

The cover of the can is normally closed but can be lifted to theposition shown in Fig. 2 for the purpose of inserting material into thecontainer by pressing downward on the pedal arm 27 by the operatorsfoot. This cau-ses the cable 24 to slide along the tube, thrustingupward against the bottom of the rod 18 and lifting the cover 13 fromthe body of the receptacle to a height determined by the length of theslot 28, or other stop for the pedal 27 to bear there against.

To hold the cover in this open position, that is, in the event theoperators foot is desired to be removed from the pedal 27, the latch 29can then be swung around its pivot and hooked over the treadle arm 27.This latching operation can also be performed by the operators foot, ifthe cover 13 is held in its elevated positiont by hand after having beenraised by downward pressure on the treadle 27. It will be understoodthat the movement of the rod 18 in its relation to the tube 19 and thelongitudinal sliding of the cable 24 along the tube is free enough toenable the cover to close by its own weight when the latch 29 is out ofengagement with the treadle arm 27, or by the release of the treadle arm27 by removal of the operators foot therefrom.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shownand described, it will be understood that numerous details of thestructure shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

l, A refuse container comprising an upright body having a bottom walland a vertically removable closure cover, a stiff rod attached to saidcover and extending downward along the main axis of said body, a tubefixed in said body for telescopic engagement with said rod andconstituting the only means of support of the cover on the body, saidtube extending through said bottom wall then outwardly and upwardly ineasy curvature to a vertically disposed upstanding portion thereofanchored to the outside of said body, a plunger slidable in said tubeand abutting the lower end of said rod, a fiexible cable attached at oneend to said plunger, said cable being slidable within said tube, andoperating means attached to said cable and slidable along said outerportion of said tube to open and close said cover.

2. A refuse container according to claim l, in which the outerupstanding vertically disposed portion of the Cable tube is slotted andthe operating means is an arm projecting through and slidable along suchslot.

3. A refuse container comprising an upright body having a bottom walland a vertically removable closure cover, a stii rod attached to saidcover and extending downward along the main axis of said body, a tubexcd in said body for telescopic engagement with said rod andconstituting the only means of support of the cover on the body, saidtube extending through said bottom wall then outwardly and upwardly ineasy curvature to a vertically disposed upstanding portion thereofanchored to the outside of said body, a plunger slidable in said tubeand abutting the lower end of said rod, a flexible cable attached at oneend to said plunger, said cable being slidable within said tube,operating means attached to said cable and slidable along said outer pontion of said tube to open and close said cover and latch means coactingwith said operating means to secure the cover in its elevated positionon the body.

4. In combination with a conventional metal refuse container having aperimetrically-anged axially removable cover and a body, the bottom ofwhich is disposed inwardly of the lower end to the vertical wall to forma supporting perimetrical ange, a tube anchored at one endconcentrically to the body bottom, one part of the tube extendingaxially upward into the body and the other part by outward and upwardeasy curvature extending through and radially along the under side ofthe bottom, through the bottom flange and up along and exteriorlyanchored to the body, a stiff rod anchored at one end concentrically tothe cover and telescopically supported in the tube to permit freeremoval and replacement of the cover, a plunger slidable in the tube andabutting the end of the rod, a flexible cable attached to one end of theplunger and extending through the other part of the tube, and operatingmeans attached to the other end of the cable and slidable along theouter portion of the tube to etect an opening and closing of the cover.

5. In combination with a conventional metal refuse 4 i container havinga perimetrically-anged axially-removable cover and a body the bottom ofwhich is disposed inwardly of the lower end to the vertical wall to forma supporting perimetrical ange, reinforcements respectively bondedaxially to the inner faces of the cover and the bottom, a first tubeanchored at one end to the bottom reinforcement concentrically of thebody and extending up into the body, a rod anchored at one end to thecover reinforcement concentrically of the cover and telescopicallysupported in the first tube to permit free removal and replacement ofthe cover relative to the body, a second tube, one end of which isbonded to the body bottom in axial alinement and communication with thefirst tube from which point the second tube extends along the bodybottom, out through the ange and exterioriy up along the body, strapsanchoring the second tube to the body exterior, a plunger slidable inthe first tube and abutting the end of the cover rod, a flexible cableattached to one end of the plunger and extending out through the secondtube, and operating means attached to the other end of the cable andslidable along the second tube exteriorly of the body to effect anopening and closing of the cover.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 5, in which the portion of thesecond tube exteriorly of the body is slotted and the operating means isan arm projecting through and slidable along the slot, and a hook ishinged on one of the straps for swinging into and out of position toengage the operating arm for holding the cover in its elevated position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS622,676 Forney Apr. 11, 1899 1,427,472 Huber Aug. 29, 1922 1,625,884Davis Apr. 26, 1927 2,216,279 Packer Oct. l, 1940 2,443,279 Sugg Junel5, 1948

